Your lucky for modern surgery.

My mom had a full hysterectomy at age 35 because of endometriosis. This was in 1980. It was a LONG operation & it took her forever to bounce back. She got a bikini line insicion that was 12 inches long. I still remember the staples all the way across her lower tummy. Looked like a train track.

My Grandma moved in with us for 6 weeks & took care of mom, my sister & me because we were so young.

But once she recovered, she didn't have the severe pain & heavy periods that lasted weeks. It did put her into menopause though at such a young age.

I wish you a speedy recovery!!!!!!

WARNING -- men may consider this to be TMI, so feel free to skip my post...

I had a laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries) when I was 42 (I'm now 67). No robots involved. A human surgeon did it.

I had endometriosis and fibroids. The fibroids were very, very large, so once a month for four months leading up to the surgery I had to have an injection of Lupron to shrink them, with follow-up ultrasounds to check their (shrinking) size.

My surgery was supposed to take 1.5 to 2.5 hours. It took close to 6 hours. I had signed a consent for a vag hyst with permission for the doctor to do an abdominal surgery if there were complications or if the fibroids were still too big to remove vaginally, etc.

My surgeon by all rights could have done an abdominal surgery. It would have been a whole heck of a lot easier for him. Some of the fibroids were still too large, but rather than switch to an abdominal surgery, he took the time to dissect the fibroids and my uterus (this is called morcellation) to make them easier to remove. I ended up with only three incisions (belly button, upper right of my abdomen, and upper left of my abdomen), each of which had one stitch and a Band-Aid.

I spent 5 nights in the hospital because I had an elevated temp. My surgery was the beginning of December and I could have gone back to work by the end of December, but it was the holidays, so I stayed out on leave until January.

While I was still in the hospital, and for a short while after being discharged, it was very difficult to change positions in bed. I've never been a "stomach sleeper," but I do sleep on my side a lot. Not so much on my back now, but at the time I switched between sleeping on my back and turning onto one side or the other. When I would try to change positions, it felt like my entire insides were being tugged. That didn't last too long after I was discharged, though.

I did tire very easily. I can remember going Christmas shopping with my sister and I was totally wiped out after about an hour and a half of walking around the mall and in the stores.

Sephia, you have undergone major surgery. Even though you and I didn't have our abdomens cut open, it is still major surgery. You cannot expect to bounce back to normal right away. You're not quite two weeks post op, so (in my opinion), it's normal to still be experiencing some discomfort and strange feelings. But as long as you follow the doctor's orders and don't try to over-do anything, you'll be feeling better soon.

Don't try to go back to work too soon. Major surgery has a 6 to 8 week recovery period, so if you need more than 6 weeks, take the extra time.

Lindsey, did you get to choose vag hyst?

I wonder why my Mom's was abdominal. Maybe they tried vag hyst first?

I was WAY too young to be included in any of those decisions or conversations between Mom & the surgeon.

All I remember was the pain she was in every time she needed to move & how hard she worked to regain muscle control in that area.

Mine was abdominal 32 years ago. Wasn't told of any other choice. They did a horizontal cut of about 8 inches. Took everything. Fibroids, severe endometriosis. Had to take iron pills and eat lots of liver prior, as I was otherwise too anemic for the surgery. Don't remember how long the surgery took, but it wasn't quick. They kept me in the hospital 4-5 days after, which was standard then.

Was off work for 6-7 weeks, it took 3-4 weeks for things to feel normal in the abdominal region. Of course i felt weak a bit longer, but stronger shortly than ever before -- well, I wasn't anemic any longer! Couldn't drive or lift things by doctor's orders for those six weeks. My parents put me up, they lived nearby and took me and my cat in.

I had my surgery about eight years ago, but via a large incision. I was in considerable pain but only for a short period of time, remarkably. I do remember that pulling sensation, very scary. Were you told to hold a pillow against your tummy when you sat up, turned over, sneezed, laughed, etc.?

I was sent home the next day, which is SOP today. Boy, did that terrify me; I cried and begged for another night! I kept pleading, "This can't be right!", lol. But once I got home, I felt more confident. My husband took incredible care of me.

I slept in bed but propped up in several areas so that I couldn't move much or lay flat. It felt like I was ripping everything whenever I moved.....which is not the case.

I am fortunate that I had the procedure as precancerous cells were found. Try to keep moving every day, eat healthy food, and follow the doctor's orders.

Artemis, that reminds me. Mom couldn't drive either because the seatbelt/lapbelt would rip her open if there was an accident.

I was back at work full-time after 7 days at a full 100% of my old self. However, I was only 33, so healing was much faster. I had my gall bladder removed this past summer and was back at work in 7 days, but was NOT at 100%.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm just enjoying my time at home, and am getting in a lot of reading. Oh, and caught up on "Days of Our Lives." Haha!

Best wishes for a speedy return to feeling better and normal.

I have the 'bikini' scar Scot mentions. I was mid-twenties, trying to get pregnant. My Gyn 'thought he felt something' on my left ovary. He effectively sterilized me. What he'd felt was merely a chocolate (blood) cyst. He was so clumsy that he took most of that ovary -- and damaged the right one. Later, I learned that my right tube was completely blocked -- where I still had a somewhat viable ovary. (No 'in vitro' in those days; I never got pregnant.) This bozo let me regain consciousness without any pain meds. I wish I'd killed him right then. I have since met a Gyn who confided that she just loves it when she can *operate*. (I showed restraint.)

I had a rectal colon resection in late October 2016. I'm 75. My five *new* scars are healed, but still red. After removal of the benign carpet polyp, I went home after three days in hospital. Then I had a bleed -- back in for four more days. I persuaded them to let me go with a 7 hemoglobin -- took a month to bring that up to a normal 11.

Healing takes much longer when you are *old*!

Scott asked, "Lindsey, did you get to choose vag hyst?"

In a word, no.

Before the doctor even said the word "hysterectomy," I knew that I had to have one. I had previously worked for a group of 5 OB/GYNs. In my experience, a good surgeon doesn't give the patient a choice between a vag hyst and an abdominal hyst. The surgeon will do the vag hyst if the patient's situation warrants it because it is an easier, faster recovery for the patient.

Had I been given a choice between an abdominal hysterectomy and a vaginal hysterectomy, of course I would have chosen the vag hyst. But, as I said before, because my fibroids and uterus were larger than expected, my surgeon had every right to change to an abdominal surgery. He wanted to do what was best for me, not what was easiest for him.

Lindsey, I do remember hearing when they opened Mom up, the endometriosis was much worse than expected & had grown all over. Poor thing.

Chisue, oh I would have been pissed. Not sure if we can say that here, but wow. I'm sorry to hear that.

Yes, Scott, there are good doctors/surgeons and, unfortunately, there are those that graduated in the lower 25% of their class. The OB/GYNs for whom I worked and especially the one who did my surgery are (were, for those who are no longer living) the BEST. The doctor who was taking care of my brother when he converted from HIV+ to full-blown AIDS is an unmentionable. The doctor who saved my brother's life when he was admitted into ICU and wasn't expected to live through the night is an angel in my eyes. (My brother made it through the night, was hospitalized for almost 10 weeks [7 of which were in the ICU], and went on to live another year.)

I had the same done when I had cancer. I feel like it was a quick recovery and no problems. Was there a question?

Mine was not laparoscopic, I had an 8-inch incision, and I bounced back pretty quickly. It did feel weird when I was lying down, like all my internal organs were shifting into new positions, very odd sensation. They gave me enough pain killers for a week, and I stopped taking them within 3-4 days, really didn't need them after that. I had 6 weeks off work, but I began taking long walks in the second week because i was so bored doing nothing. Hope your recovery goes well.

JoAnn - no specific question. I was merely curious as to others' experiences. I commented on the strange feeling I have when laying in bed, and several folks shared their thoughts on it. That's all :>)

Mine was a radical hysterectomy. Hospital stay was
two weeks with another week in bed, only getting up when necessary. Don’t
know how long the surgery lasted, but I suspect it was longer than my previous
ones. I tend to react poorly to anesthetic; out like a light; difficult to
wake; extreme nausea - on a ‘baby dose.’ That time was a whopper!

My back
was badly bruised, and my legs were swollen the size of a wrestler’s. The
nurses kept commenting how athletic they were, while I protested I have bird
legs, normally. The scar was a work of art “so I could wear a bikini.” Well, I had never worn one prior, and never
have since.

My
expectation to be back to work in record time, dragged to 6 mos. I’m certain it
would have been sooner if I had a desk job. I’m not content doing nothing.

I also experienced the feeling as if my insides were
shifting others mention.

I had one done some years ago, I think I was late 50's...I was having a period once a year, for years, so I finally went in. I had polyps that were removed but grew back in only 3 months so a total hysterectomy was done. Very little pain, recovery was pretty quick too.

Sophia, I had a total abdominal hysterectomy just 3 weeks ago. I have often visited the website hystersisters.com . Theye have great FYI forums and even post-hysterectomy forums that are for those having surgery specific weeks. It is very informative and is helping me immensely plan and work around the healing processes.

I wish you well.

I had a radical hysterectomy a couple of years ago and I wasn't back on my feet for awhile due to the internal stiches. After 6 weeks I decided to wash the windows all 30 of them, and started bleeding. I bled for days and had to do bed rest for a month. I also like the hystersisters website. I felt a phantom tampon sensation that many people on hystersisters talk about.

Wow, thanks for the hystersisters website referral. I joined the site and am finding it very useful.